1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera with a mode selectable structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a digital camera with a mode selectable structure, in which a macro photographing mode is selectable, and which is capable of reliably generating an alarm signal of a present setting of the macro photographing mode.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A digital still camera includes a CCD image sensor and an image pickup optical system, and is loaded with a storage medium or memory. The CCD photographs an image of an object, to produced image data according to a pickup signal of the CCD. The image data is written to the memory. A widely used type of the digital still camera has a mode selectable structure in which a desired one of plural photographing modes can be designated, the photographing modes including a portrait mode, landscape mode, sport mode and the like. In the digital still camera, there are exposure conditions preset characteristically for the photographing modes, and adapted for image pickup according thereto.
A macro photographing mode is suitable for close-up photography or macro photography among the photographing modes. The macro photographing mode is characterized in that only objects at a near distance can be focused even though this near distance is so small as to be out of focus in other regular photographing modes different from the macro photographing mode among the photographing modes. However, if a user inadvertently photographs an object located at a far distance or middle distance by using the macro photographing mode, this results in failure in the image pickup because an image of the object is out of focus. To cope with such a problem requires giving alarm information to the user if the macro photographing mode is set.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,198 (corresponding to JP-A 6-194732) discloses the digital still camera in which the macro photographing mode and a panoramic photographing mode are settable. The panoramic photographing mode is to enlarge an aspect ratio of an image frame in the horizontal direction in comparison with a standard aspect ratio. The digital still camera in the document includes an alarm signaling LED (light-emitting diode), which is driven if the macro photographing mode and the panoramic photographing mode are selected simultaneously, to inform a user of an unsuitable situation by the alarm illumination. Furthermore, another known type of the digital still camera is capable of generating an alarm signal by displaying an alarm icon on a display panel. The icon is a visible form of an alarm signal, as the display panel continuously displays the icon while the macro photographing mode is set, or instantaneously displays the icon immediately upon setting the macro photographing mode. The user is informed of the setting of the macro photographing mode by the appearance of the icon on the display panel. If he or she becomes aware of a situation of not requiring the macro photographing mode, he or she can change the mode from the macro photographing mode over to one of the regular photographing modes.
Furthermore, a photographic camera in which sensitivity of photo film is selectable is known. In such a camera, a panoramic photographing mode is provided, and set for taking a photograph of a panoramic format. If an image is photograph panoramically with a photo film having a high photo film sensitivity, image quality will be low because of enlargement in the size. To solve a problem such a failure, JP-A 8-076238 discloses a camera in which the photo film sensitivity is detected in response to manual operation for changeover to the panoramic format. If the photo film sensitivity is equal to or higher than a reference sensitivity predetermined in the camera, an alarm signal is generated for the purpose of inhibiting the changeover to the panoramic format.
In the field of the digital still camera, however, known cameras do not have a structure of apparently clarified alarm or notice of an icon of the macro photographing mode at the same time as or shortly before the image pickup. A user is likely to miss or neglect the icon or indicia on the display panel for indicating the macro photographing mode. A problem arises in high probability in his or her error in the image pickup because of missing the setting of the macro photographing mode.